


The game is not played alone

by cantdrawshaw



Category: Charlie's Angels (2019)
Genre: F/F, Headaches & Migraines, Hurt/Comfort, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:13:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21811369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cantdrawshaw/pseuds/cantdrawshaw
Summary: Elena gets a migraine for the first time in forever. Sabina and Jane take care of her.
Relationships: Elena Houghlin/Jane Kano/Sabina Wilson
Comments: 25
Kudos: 306





	The game is not played alone

**Author's Note:**

> I love them and Elena is baby.

In retrospect, the first warning sign for Elena probably should have been falling asleep _on the way to_ a mission. She’s not a rookie anymore, but she’s still not _that_ cocky about her skills, and she normally uses the travel time to prep everything in her head one last time.

(There’s also no way she would ever dream of being that unprofessional under normal circumstances, especially in front of Boz.)

But she doesn’t even realize she fell asleep until someone pokes her in the cheek.

“Wakey, wakey, Elena. It’s go-time.”

Elena groggily bats away the finger and opens her eyes to see Sabina smiling at her. She must have been out for a while because Sabina had gotten changed, and is now sporting the housemaid’s uniform they’d acquired that morning, a brown wig, and a pair of perfectly un-scuffed white tennis shoes. Jane’s crouched in the free space in the back, also having changed into a polo and some slacks bearing a pest control agency’s logo.

Realizing they must be close to their destination, Elena jolts upright. “I’m up, I’m up,” she says, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn.

The van pulls up to a gate and comes to a stop, and Sabina reaches out a steadying hand when Elena sways sideways with the motion. A quick swipe of the keycard hanging from the rearview mirror and they’re continuing up the long driveway to one of the most premier country clubs in the area.

“Must have been some nap,” Sabina tells her, tucking some hair behind Elena’s ear. “Boz nailed a pothole while I was putting on the skirt and I accidentally elbowed you in the face. Thought for sure you were gonna kill me, but you didn’t even twitch.”

“Oh,” Elena says with an eye roll. “Well, thanks for that.”

Sabina presses a kiss to her cheek, ignoring the sarcasm in her tone, before standing up to join Jane. Elena twists to try and stretch out her back, making a mental note not to take a nap in an aged van like this ever again. She yawns for the second time in as many minutes.

“I thought you two agreed on not wearing each other out the night before a mission after what happened in New York,” Jane teases.

It causes a blush to creep up Elena’s neck, despite knowing that the three of them had spent that particular night together, and therefore Jane knows all they had done was sleep.

Sabina’s eyes light up and she opens her mouth, no doubt about to say something with at _least_ two innuendos, but Elena cuts her off before she has the chance.

“I’m just a bit jet-lagged still, that’s all.” Her defense is punctuated by another jaw-cracking yawn that she scrambles to cover with the back of her hand. “And you know very well that Saint said that pulled hamstring was because of that _marathon_ you made me run the day before, not anything Sabina and I may or may not have done.”

Jane scoffs playfully. “ _Please_ , that was hardly a marathon. It was more–”

“As much as I am enjoying listening to this conversation,” Boz interrupts from the driver’s seat, amusement dancing in her tone despite her attempt to keep her composure stern. “We do have work to do, ladies. Sabina, you know what you’re doing?”

Sabina pulls a little electronic disk from her apron pocket, along with what looks like a dog treat, which she quickly shoves back in. “Sorry, there’s a bunch of them in this thing, I don’t know why– Anyway, yeah, I have to install this on one of the cameras inside so Elena can do her nerd thing.”

_“Hey.”_

“Exactly. Remember, we’re just here for reconnaissance today. Jane will be outside should you need back-up, but this should be pretty routine.”

Elena has no doubt it will be. They’d gotten a tip-off that the country club is involved with a lot of the major players of a global human trafficking scheme they’ve encountered before. Their goal for the day is simply to bug the place with one of her latest developments, which will also allow them to hack into the surveillance system without a trace.

Boz parks the van in a camera dead zone and gets out to open the back doors for Sabina and Jane. Sabina hops out first, holding out a hand for Jane and giving her a little bow. “M’lady.”

Jane adjusts the heavy container of pesticide she just strapped to her back and aims the sprayer nozzle at Sabina’s nose. “Don’t tempt me,” she says dryly.

Sabina puts her hands up as Jane steps out unassisted. “It’s cool, we’ll save the fun for later.” And with a final wink towards Elena, she heads to the back entrance.

Jane lets out a pained sigh when she gets out of hearing range. “Remind me again why we put up with her?” she asks Elena.

 _“Because you love me!”_ Sabina chirps over the comms.

Jane’s eyes shut indignantly and Elena can’t help but laugh as Boz shuts the doors.

Boz settles back in the driver’s seat with a book propped in front of her, looking for all the world like a bored chauffeur stuck waiting for her charges to be done, but Elena knows she’s taking in everything she can behind her shades.

Speaking of, it’s time for her to get to work. She slips her computer out of her bag, pulling up the specs of the premises. Two little red dots let her know Jane and Sabina’s locations, one moving into the building and one hovering near the side, where Jane’s probably started working on the flowerbeds.

“Okay, Sabina, the cleaning supplies are in the closet across from the bathrooms.”

_“On it.”_

Elena tilts her head from side to side as she watches Sabina’s dot move, trying to work out the stiffness in her neck. She wants to blame it on the crappy seat cushions, but she’d noticed it that morning, along with a heavy exhaustion despite the ample amount of sleep she’d gotten the night before.

It’s why she couldn’t help but close her eyes as the chatter of her teammates (mostly Boz and Sabina) lulled her into a state of calm on the way over.

The nap hadn’t done anything for the dull ache in the back of her skull – also present since that morning – but she blames that on the ungodly amount of caffeine she’d drank in an effort to get back some of her normal energy.

“Forty-seven minutes.”

Elena looks up and meets Boz’s eyes in the rearview mirror, blinking in confusion.

“That’s how long you were asleep,” Boz clarifies. “In case you were wondering.”

Elena clears her throat, wondering if she’s about to be chewed out for unprofessionalism or something. “Thanks. I’m sorry; I don’t know why I’m so tired.”

Sabina interrupts them before Boz can reply. _“Got ‘em. Having keys is kind of nice sometimes. Although I never mind a good breaking and entering.”_

 _“It’s the only way to go, if you ask me,”_ says Jane. _“Makes it more fun.”_

_“Amen to that.”_

Elena focuses back on the screen in front of her, bringing up the 3D map of the building she’d created to get a better idea of the layout. “How’s the camera situation, Sabina?”

_“There’s literally dozens in here. And they’re not the cheap kind either. This’ll be a piece of cake.”_

“Wherever you put it, just make it look natural. We don’t need anyone catching on that we’ve bugged the place.”

 _“Natural is my middle name, baby. There’s no–_ whoa. _Oh my God!”_

Sabina’s voice pitches up an octave, causing Elena to tense as she imagines dozens of possibilities as to what Sabina could have possibly just discovered. But her fears quickly get erased as Sabina speaks again.

_“Aww, you’re so cute! You guys, there’s a dog! We still have to get a dog.”_

Elena can hear the exasperated eye roll in Jane’s voice. _“So you remind us every single time you see one.”_

_“He’s just wandering around in here! It’s the cutest thing ever. Who’s a good dog? Guess I know why there’re milk bones in the pocket of this thing now, huh?”_

Sabina continues baby-talking to the dog she’s no doubt slathering with attention while Jane reminds her to focus, but Elena’s attention gets pulled from the conversation as she notices a gray spot in the corner of her left eye. She rubs at it, figuring it’s just some sleep caught in her eyelashes, but after that and a couple of blinks, it still hasn’t gone away. She frowns when it only seems to expand in her field of vision, and she realizes it’s hazy in a familiar kind of way.

_But it can’t be…_

_“I’m ready. I just have to screw this into the little doohickey thing on the side, right, Elena?”_

“Elena?”

She jolts as she registers Boz speaking her name and a beat later Sabina’s question trickles in over her thought spiral. “Yes! Right in the, um, doohickey thing.”

_“Copy that.”_

A close-up of Sabina’s face suddenly pops up on her screen, followed by a sweep of feathers as she runs a duster over the camera lens.

“Okay, I see you. And–” Elena taps some keys, bringing up the list of every camera. “There’s Jane.” Ten seconds later and she’s hacked into the mainframe of the security system. “They have everything hooked up to this system. Cameras, doors, you name it. _Ooh_ , I can even control the hot tub.”

_“Nice.”_

“Looks like there’s a safe in the east corner of the room you’re in,” Elena informs her. “You see it?”

 _“It’s just billiard tables in here. Oh, wait, there’s a rack of cues. Maybe behind?”_ A loud scrape transmits through the comms and Elena winces at the sound. _“Bingo. Looks like a fingerprint scanner though.”_

“One second. I should be able to remotely–” Elena cuts off suddenly with a gasp.

Zigzags have now joined the gray blur in front of her eye, and the realization of exactly what’s going on sinks into her stomach like a stone. It’s been years since she’s gotten an aura, but now her fatigue and sore neck and slight headache are starting to make sense, even if it all adds up to a picture she was hoping she would never have to face again.

“Shit,” she breathes out.

 _“Elena? What’s wrong?”_ Jane.

Boz is fully turned in her seat, eyeing her closely. Elena sucks in a breath and gives her what she hopes is a reassuring smile. “Nothing, just jammed my pinky on the keys, sorry.”

She’s panicking on the inside, because she only ever had an aura before a particularly bad migraine, which she hasn’t had to deal with since before college. But Boz looks seconds away from reaching out to her, and she knows that will just make Sabina and Jane worry, so she pushes it down.

She’ll have to deal with whatever’s coming for her after the mission. Right now, she has a job to do.

A couple of clicks and the safe’s popping open in front of Sabina, who relays its contents – mostly documents – to Boz. Boz has her take pictures and tells her to do a final sweep of the place, but they’re pretty much done with everything they needed to do on-site for now.

Elena checks the camera archives, finding footage from the past year; more than enough to let them know if this is truly a place of interest or not. There’s also a visitor log for every guest that’s come to the club in that time, so they’ll be able to put names to faces without too much trouble.

Jane comes back to the van first, toting a significantly emptier tank of pesticide and a look of mild disgust. She peels off the heavy gloves she was wearing and strips down to her tank top before sitting next to Elena.

“Remind me not to go into the bug-killing industry,” she says.

Suddenly needing to be close, Elena presses into her side, and Jane slouches down so Elena can lay her head on her shoulder. She puts a hand on Elena’s thigh, rubbing circles with her thumb.

“You okay?” she asks softly, low enough that Boz won’t hear.

And Elena doesn’t know why, but she doesn’t want to admit anything is wrong yet. Maybe because she’s still trying to convince herself that she was just seeing things. The aura’s gone now – maybe it was just a figment of her imagination. Maybe she really is just tired and that’s all it is.

“Yeah,” she whispers.

Sabina joins them then, looking exhilarated despite the fact that this was comparatively one of the more boring missions they’ve ever done. “All right!” she says with a clap of her hands. “Let’s get moving, people! We got a party to get ready for!”

Elena inwardly groans. She’d completely forgotten about the party tonight. Boz’s birthday was a week and a half ago, and the Angels were throwing her a belated celebration (which had taken some convincing on Sabina’s part – as her and Boz’s idea of a celebration are two entirely different things – but Boz had finally agreed after the promise of free wine and all the cheese she could eat.)

Elena grabs one of Sabina’s hands to get her to sit down when the van starts moving again. Sandwiched between her girlfriends, she makes the mental note to swipe some painkillers from Saint’s stash when they get back.

Hopefully, they’ll do the trick.

…

As soon as the get back to the base they’re staying in, Elena wonders off. Jane pulls Sabina aside, and Sabina notes the way she watches Elena’s receding form with a slight frown on her face.

“Has Elena mentioned anything to you about what’s up with her?”

It’s not so much the question, as the concern in Jane’s eyes that throws Sabina for a loop. It makes her feel like she’s missed something. “N-no? Why? Is something wrong? Did she say something to you?”

Jane shakes her head. “No. But I know there is something. She’s been off all day.”

Sabina replays the day through her head. “She has been kind of quiet,” she agrees. “What are you thinking?”

“We would know if she had gotten hurt recently, so that’s not it. She might be coming down with something. But I’m not sure.”

“If something is wrong, she’ll let us know. And we can keep an eye on her tonight, okay?”

Sabina reaches out a hand and hovers it over Jane’s, giving her the option of taking it or not. Jane isn’t always big on physical contact, so Sabina’s always careful to let her make the decision.

Jane takes it this time, so Sabina rubs her knuckles soothingly. Of the three of them, Jane might be the one who worries most about the other’s well-being, despite her seemingly indifferent exterior to people outside their team.

Jane smiles and leans down for a kiss, which they both sigh into. “M’kay.”

They have just over two hours before the party, so Jane tells Sabina she’s going to work out in the gym for a bit, blow off some steam by herself since they had a very anticlimactic day. (Sabina tells her she can think of at least a dozen different ways they could ‘blow off some steam’ _together_ , but Jane doesn’t take her up on it.)

Elena passes through the kitchen on her way to take a shower, having acquired a hoodie from somewhere that can only belong to Jane, what with how comically large it is on her. She gives Sabina a quick kiss before going upstairs, and she seems okay for now. So, Sabina polishes off a leftover sandwich from the fridge and lays down on the couch to wait for her to get done.

When her eyes start to close, she lets them, figuring she’ll only need about twenty minutes to get ready, and if the last party the three of them attended is any indication, there won’t be much sleep on her agenda for tonight.

A cat-nap can’t hurt.

She wakes up exactly one hour and fifty-five minutes later, after Saint throws a pillow at her face.

“What the hell, dude?

He just shrugs at her glare. “I thought you would appreciate it if you didn’t sleep through the party you advocated so insistently on.”

Sabina notices Jane, calmly reading a book in the chair across from her, all ready to go in a semi-formal tux and freshly straightened hair. From the looks of it, she’s been there for a while.

“Were you going to wake me up?”

Jane just shrugs without looking up from her page. “You were too adorable. You were drooling in your sleep.”

“You were,” Saint confirms, gesturing to his chin. “You have some…”

Sabina swipes the side of her mouth with her forearm, flipping him off at the same time. “Elena come down yet?”

Two head shakes.

“I’ll go get her. And get changed since _someone_ decided I don’t get to shower.” A pointed look towards Jane, who only smirks in return. “Be down soon.”

When she first gets to their bedroom, she thinks they must just have missed Elena coming downstairs after all, because it’s empty and none of the lights are on and the bathroom door is wide open.

It’s also quiet.

She flips on one of the lamps and is about to yell down to Jane to check the console room Elena likes to hole herself up in when what she previously thought was a discarded pile of towels in the bathroom moves.

Despite eight years of spy training, she jumps. “Shit, Elena, you almost gave me– Elena?”

There’s no answer, and she rushes into the bathroom to get a better look at the situation. Elena’s on the floor against the tub with her head on her knees, still in the jeans she was wearing earlier and Jane’s sweatshirt. She’s got the hood pulled up, so Sabina can’t see her face.

“Elena?”

Elena tilts her head, enough that Sabina can make out how pale her face is – even in the minimal lighting – and cracks open one eye. “Sabina?” she asks weakly.

“Yeah, hey, what’s wrong? You sick?”

Elena’s eye slips closed again, and she presses her forehead back against her arm. “Migraine,” she whispers, and Sabina has to strain to hear it. “Bad.”

Sabina racks her brain but can’t remember if Elena’s ever mentioned a history of migraines. She tries to not let her worry slip into her voice, wanting to keep her calm. “Have you ever had one before?”

Elena gives the subtlest of nods. “Haven’t in years. Used to– used to have pills for it.”

Sabina puts a hand on her back. Elena immediately leans into it and Sabina can’t help but wince at the tension she feels coiled in her spine.

“Had an aura when we were out in the field,” Elena continues. “Only ever got those when it was going to be really bad. But I thought maybe if I could relax and take it easy, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. I was just coming to shower when it really hit.” Her voice cracks at the end of her sentence.

Sabina pulls her closer when her breathing hitches. “Hey, shh, just relax. We’ll take care of you. I’m sorry you were stuck in here by yourself. Jane even said she thought something was wrong. I should have checked on you instead of taking a nap.”

Elena laughs feebly and then groans. “Not your fault. Should have told you.”

“Do you want to go lay down in bed? This floor can’t be doing you any favors.”

“Don’t think I can move.”

“Okay. That’s okay. I’m going to tell Jane to come up here, ‘kay?”

“Mm.”

Sabina pulls out her phone and sends a quick text.

_Bdrm now pls_

Jane absolutely hates when Sabina texts like that, so she’s hoping the outrage will make her come faster.

She’s there in under a minute, so it probably worked. “Sab, what are you– why is it so dark in here?”

Sabina doesn’t get a chance to warn her before she’s flipping the switch on. The bathroom floods with light and Elena cries out, hunching even further into herself.

“Turn them off!” Sabina hisses, trying to shield Elena with her body, as if that’s much help.

Jane’s eyes go wide, but she complies immediately, plunging them back into darkness.

“She’s got a migraine,” Sabina explains. “She’s not feeling too good.”

Elena whimpers in agreement and Jane’s kneeling beside her in a second. “I’m so sorry, darling.”

Sabina moves her hand to Elena’s shoulder blade. “Let’s get you to bed, okay? Do you think you can get up or do you want Jane to carry you?”

It takes Elena long enough to answer that Sabina starts to worry she’s lost consciousness. But then she reaches out a hand and places it weakly on Jane’s thigh. “Jane.”

Jane nods and moves into a squat, slotting an arm underneath Elena’s knees. “I’ve got you.”

Jane picks her up easy, carrying her through the doorway and out into the bedroom. Sabina rushes around so she can turn off the lamp she had left on and pull the covers back. Together, they carefully slide Elena into bed.

Her hood falls off somewhere in the transfer, allowing them to get a better look at her face. Her brow is creased in pain and there are dried tear tracks on her cheeks. Sabina and Jane look at each other in worry.

“I’ll get Saint,” Jane declares, taking a step towards the door.

Elena makes a mad grab for Jane’s pant leg, keeping her in place. “No. Don’t leave.”

Sabina sits on the bed beside her, tries to soothe the white-knuckled grip Elena’s got on the fabric. “It’s okay, baby. I’ll stay with you. Jane will be right back.”

“No.” Elena shakes her head, then squeezes her eyes shut even tighter. “I don’t want a med eval right now. Please.”

“Okay, okay.” Jane leans down and cups Elena’s cheek. “But please tell me what I can do for you. I don’t like seeing you in this much pain.”

Elena just curls into Jane’s touch. She’s always cuddly when she’s out of it – Sabina had learned that firsthand the time she accidentally tranqed herself – but this is a whole new level.

“She said she used to take prescription meds. Did they help, Elena?”

Elena licks her lips. “Sometimes.”

“They’ll be in her medical records,” Jane tells Sabina. “I’ll go see what I can do.” She presses a kiss to Elena’s furrowed brow. “You hang tight for me, okay?”

Elena just nods and releases her hold. Jane straightens up and turns to Sabina, giving her a kiss as well. “Take care of her.”

“Always.”

After Jane shuts the door, Elena curls up onto her side. “Can you hold me?” she asks.

“Of course, I can.” Sabina lays on her back and holds open her arms, letting Elena get settled how she wants. Her face ends up tucked against Sabina’s chest, hands finding their way under Sabina’s shirt, pressing against her stomach. For once, Sabina doesn’t even complain about how cold they are.

“Did we miss the party?”

Sabina starts trailing her fingers through Elena’s hair. “Don’t worry about that, baby. All we care about is helping you feel better. And Boz will understand.”

Her phone buzzes in her pocket. She reaches in between them to fish it out, hitting the volume button a couple of times to put it on silent. She then makes sure the brightness level is as low as it can be and angles the screen away from Elena’s face before reading the message from Jane.

_Saint put in a script for Elena. I’m picking it up to make it quicker. Should be back in twenty. Love you both xx_

Sabina sends back a simple ‘kk’ and a kiss emoji before dropping her phone on the nightstand to wait.

Elena’s stopped talking, so she stays quiet too, not wanting to disturb her if she’s managed to fall asleep. She only realizes that Elena’s started crying again when she feels wetness soaking through her shirt. She looks down and witnesses Elena’s silent misery. It makes her feel like a dagger’s being stabbed through her chest. She’s been in torture scenarios that have hurt less than seeing her girlfriend in pain like this.

All she can do is pull Elena in tighter when she sniffles, mentally willing Jane to hurry up.

…

Jane’s gone for exactly twenty-four minutes and eleven seconds. It feels like a small eternity.

She gets to the pharmacy that Saint directed her to way before Elena’s prescription is ready. She spends the first ten minutes pacing through the aisles, grabbing whatever supplies she sees that might come in handy. But then she’s made her way through all of them, and she’s sure Elena doesn’t need _three_ different kinds of ice packs, so she forces herself to stand at the small waiting area next to the pick-up counter.

(And if she glares at the people working behind the counter to move faster, despite knowing that prescriptions take time to fill and it’s not their fault – well, she can’t help it. She’s a little worried, and since Sabina had only sent one quick response to her message instead of the normal dozen, she figures things aren’t going well.)

It’s finally ready, and a kid that’s no doubt fresh out of school hands her the bag with slightly shaking hands. She pays for everything she’s gathered, and heads back out to the front where she parked her bike.

She stows the purchases in the saddlebag and revs the engine as soon as she hops on, determined to be back as quick as possible. She doesn’t want to keep Elena waiting any longer than necessary. She feels bad enough as it is that she hadn’t listened to her gut instinct that was telling her something was wrong in the first place.

Instead, she had been so focused on having some alone time before the party, leaving Elena alone on the bathroom floor for who knows how long before Sabina found her.

When she gets back, Elena seems to have taken a turn for the worse. She’s crying silently, half curled on top of Sabina, who’s propped up in bed with a concerned frown on her face. The tightness in her jaw eases slightly when she sees Jane, but then her eyes are drawn to the overloaded bags in Jane’s hand.

Jane places them on the nightstand and ignores the look Sabina gives her. “I may have panicked slightly,” she explains, keeping her voice low.

“Just a little,” Sabina agrees, nudging Elena gently. “Hey, babe, Jane’s got your medicine. Can you sit up?”

Elena whimpers and clutches Sabina tighter. “Don’t think I can keep it down.”

“Think you’re gonna be sick?” Sabina asks, her eyes widening slightly.

“Think I will if I try to swallow anything. Don’t want to. Always makes it worse.”

Sabina and Jane lock eyes, and Jane nods slightly. “Okay,” Sabina reassures her. “We can try again later.”

Jane grabs the trash can from the bathroom just in case.

She leaves it on the floor next to Sabina and climbs into bed on Elena’s other side, expensive suit pants be damned. She starts rubbing circles on Elena’s back, hoping to help her relax.

They spend the better part of the next two hours like that, Sabina and Jane keeping as still and quiet as they can. Elena dozes with an ice pack on her forehead, but with the way she keeps tossing and turning, Jane knows it isn’t restful.

Saint and Boz text a couple of times, asking how Elena’s doing. Jane updates them, and Boz promises that no one will disturb them for the night. Saint asks them to keep track of a timeline and list of Elena’s symptoms, so she can discuss it all with her doctor once she’s feeling better.

They offer the pills again, and this time Elena tries to take one, but the second it hits her tongue, she gags. She spits it out into the trash can Sabina hastily shoves under her chin and coughs. Thankfully, nothing else comes up, and she just miserably tells them she’ll try again later.

It’s around midnight when she finally manages to take one and keep it down, along with half a bottle of water, much to Jane’s relief. But then she’s squirming out from their touches and telling them she needs some space and that they can go to one of the other rooms if they want so she won’t keep them awake. Neither Sabina nor Jane wants to leave her side, but Sabina checks in and asks if it’s okay if they let her have the bed to herself but stay in the room. Elena says it’s fine, so Sabina curls up on the floor with a blanket and pillow while Jane moves over to the armchair in the corner of the room.

She knows she’s not going to be able to sleep, not as long as Elena might need her.

By two AM, Sabina’s out cold, sprawled on the carpet like a starfish. Jane smiles at the sight, and a couple of hours later when Sabina manages to kick the blanket off both her legs, she gets up to quietly tuck her back in.

There’s a rustle from the bed and then Elena’s head pokes out from the nest she’s made with the blanket. “Jane?”

“Yes, love. Do you need anything?”

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

Jane carefully steps over Sabina’s arm and up to the front of the bed. “Want some help?”

Elena takes the proffered hand and manages to sit up. She pauses once she’s there for a minute before moving her legs to the side and pushing to stand. She’s a little shaky on her feet and her movements are sluggish, but they make it across the room without too much trouble.

It’s pitch black in the bathroom without any light from the bedroom, and Jane stills in the doorway, worried about bumping Elena into something and hurting her.

“Do you think we can turn the nightlight on?” she asks, referring to the little plug-in on the outlet near the sink. “Or will that be too much?”

“Let’s try. Just wait.” Elena buries her face into Jane’s shoulder “Okay, now.”

Jane hits the button and the weak light comes on, just enough to make out everything in the dark. Elena lifts her head towards it with her eyes scrunched closed. After a few seconds, she squints one open, then the other, and then blinks a few times before opening them fully. “I’m good,” she says, sounding relieved.

Jane helps her over to the toilet. “I’ll be right outside,” she promises, moving back out and shutting the door to give Elena some privacy.

Sabina gives a little grunt and rolls onto her side before going still again. Jane’s glad at least one of them is getting some sleep. Now that Elena seems to be doing a little better, hopefully that number can jump up to three soon.

She hears the toilet flush and water start up at the sink a few seconds later. She knocks lightly as a warning and then slips back inside. Elena’s using a wet washcloth to dab at the residual clumps of mascara around her eyes, so Jane steps up behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist.

“Feeling better?” she asks softly.

Elena nods. “Everything’s a little achy and I’m probably going to be drained for a while, but the worst should be over now.” She leans back into Jane’s arms. “Thanks for taking care of me,” she adds.

“Always,” Jane whispers, repeating what Sabina had said earlier in the day. “Would you like to take a bath to try and help you get to sleep?”

Elena groans a little at the suggestion. “A bath sounds amazing right now.”

Jane helps her perch on the closed toilet lid to wait and then moves into action, getting the water started, waiting until it’s nearly scalding hot – just the way Elena likes it – before plugging the drain.

Elena speaks up when the tub’s about halfway full. “Will you join me?”

“I’d love to,” Jane tells her with a smile. “Let me just go get you some pajamas to change into after. And I did get some of that gross Gatorade you love when I was at the pharmacy. Would you like some?”

“The green kind!?” Elena perks up, and Jane’s glad to see her smile. “Hell yeah.”

Jane just chuckles and warns her to turn the water off if it gets too high before she gets back, and heads out to their closet.

She picks out a pair of sweats and a sleep shirt for both of them before grabbing the promised bottle of Gatorade from the nightstand. She’s careful to be quiet, but the noise from the bathroom must wake Sabina.

She lifts her head and peers at Jane with mostly closed eyes, clearly still half-asleep. “S’okay?” she slurs.

Jane crouches down and kisses her forehead. “Yeah, babe. Everything’s fine. Elena’s feeling better and I’m running her a bath so she can hopefully get some rest. You can go back to sleep.”

“’Kay,” Sabina hums, slumping back down on her pillow. “’Night.”

Elena’s just shutting the faucet off when Jane gets back. She places the clothes on the vanity and sets the bottle down near the foot of the tub. She helps Elena stand and undress and then sheds her own clothes and pins up her hair with much less fanfare.

She helps Elena step into the water first and then sinks down against the end of the tub. Elena nestles between her legs, leaning back against her chest.

Jane reaches to the floor and grabs the Gatorade. “Here,” she says, cracking open the cap and holding it out. “Drink some. You need the fluids.”

Elena takes a measured sip, swallowing it fully and waiting to see how her stomach reacts before trying more. It seems to go okay, and she drinks about a fourth of the bottle before looking back at Jane.

“It’s not gross, by the way.”

“Mm-hmm,” Jane hums, sweeping Elena’s hair to the side and bringing her hands up to her shoulders, wanting to do something about the tension there. She starts up a gentle massage, grimacing at how tight Elena’s back and shoulder muscles are.

Elena takes another sip. “It’s not,” she insists, pout clear in her voice. “Have you ever even tried it?”

Jane’s saved from having to answer – or worse yet, having Elena make her actually drink some – as she finds a particularly painful knot right at the juncture between her neck and shoulder. Elena hisses and then lets out a sigh as Jane works at it, the bottle nearly slipping from her hands as her arms slacken.

Jane catches it before their bathwater can turn green and places it back on the floor, satisfied with the amount Elena drank.

“Thanks, baby. God,” Elena moans as Jane’s hands start back up again. “That feels so good.”

The door opens and Sabina staggers in, hair sticking up every which way and her eyes still squinty with sleep. “Heard you two were bonding without me,” she whines, plopping down on the floor next to them. “I want in.”

She rests her chin against the side of the tub and Elena reaches over, placing a hand atop her head. Her nails start scritching against her scalp, and Sabina’s eyes close in pleasure. Jane wonders if she even notices that Elena’s getting her wet.

They stay like that until the water starts to get cold. By then, Elena’s eyes have started drooping and Jane knows her plan succeeded. Together with Sabina, they get Elena bundled into a towel and dry before wrangling her into the clothes she laid out.

Jane dresses as well, and she’s just pulling the shirt over her head when she hears a clattering followed by a quiet curse. When she looks over to see what happened, Sabina’s lifting her foot out of the way of a spreading puddle on the floor.

“Didn’t see Elena’s gross drink on the floor. Oops.”

“S’not gross,” Elena murmurs sleepily.

Jane laughs. “Leave it,” she tells Sabina, taking Elena’s hand and guiding her back into the bedroom. “We’ll deal with it in the morning.”

Sabina’s voice gets a teasing lilt as Jane gets Elena tucked back in. “Isn’t it technically morning already? Or did you let me sleep through that too?”

“Guys,” Elena whines, blindly trying to hit them with a pillow and missing terribly. “Shut up. Sleep.”

Sabina raises an eyebrow at Jane and motions toward the bed. “You heard the lady.”

Jane helps Elena nail her with the pillow this time.


End file.
